What Does The Future Hold For David Wright?

You want to talk about a guy getting a bad break. In his previous eleven big league seasons, only once had David Wright failed to play more than 100 games in a season (his first yea in the Majors, he played in just 69 games). Now it looks like, in his 12th year in the Majors, his career maybe in jeopardy. Just eight games into this 2015 season, Wright went on the disabled list for what was originally diagnosed with a hamstring injury. Now here we sit, at the end of May, and it looks like Wright might not be back anytime soon. The reason being? The same injury that seemed to cost Lenny Dykstra the end of his career. Spinal Stenosis.

What is spinal stenosis? Spinal Stenosis is a narrowing of joint space in either the central canal (where the spinal cord is) or the intervertebral foramina (where nerve roots leave the spinal column). The compression causes back pain that may shoot down the leg(s) causing muscle weakness, numbness, and tingling. How far the pain, if present, travels down the leg is based on severity and location of the compression. There is also a lack of mobility in the vertebrae of the lower back and muscles become tight as a result; these two factors may also contribute to the degree of pain (metsblog.com). A partial cause for the injury could stem from Wright injuring his lower back during the 2013 season, thus missing two months during the middle of that year. So how does this effect the Mets Captain?

Well, sadly, the symptoms of stenosis are irreversible. Wright will have back problems most of the rest of his life, meaning he will have difficulty being upright and standing while also experiencing a lack of mobility in the vertebrae of the lower back. Wright can still play baseball, as there is such a low risk of sever injury to the back with this kind of diagnosis, but the longevity and productivity Wright once experienced may be a thing of the past. As much as it pain's me to say this, I think Wright's effective days are behind him.

I say this for a couple of reasons. One is that Wright's production has gone down over the last few years. Wright hasn't driven in 100 or more runs in a season since 2010 when he drove in 103. The closest he has come to it since then was 93 runs in 2012. I've been contending this for the last few years now, Wright's numbers have gone down because of the Mets. Because if you look at Wright's best years with the team, which were 2005-10, they all had the same thing in common. He had protection in the lineup. He had guys like Piazza, Floyd, Cameron, Beltran and Delgado hitting in the same batting order. Wright was able to see pitches to hit and there wasn't as much pressure on him to perform. Over the last five or so years, the Mets have gotten rid of that protection and haven't been able to replace it in the lineup. So Wright has been almost kind of forced to carry the team on his back. He's trying to do more than he should, because he doesn't have help in the lineup.

Another reason why Wright's numbers are going down now are due to the injury. With stenosis, there's no timetable for when the Captain could be back with the big club. Some reports were that Wright would have already rejoined the team right around now, which the Mets need because they kind of look like the walking wounded at the moment. Now with this diagnosis, Wright is going to be out even longer. With an injury like this, even when Wright comes back, there's no promise he will be able to play everyday like he once had.

This sucks for a guy who had all the talent in the world. Here's a guy who could almost do it all playing 3rd base. Has a great glove, can throw, hit, hit for power, run. Basically a jack of all trades if you will. Now that could be going by the waside. In his time in New York, David has only seen playoff baseball once, that coming in 2006. Which is kind of sad, considering how good a ballplayer David is.

David Wright still is the face of the Mets Franchise. Right now he can still be of service to the Mets at 3rd base. Just not as much as he, or the franchise, would have liked. His career is in no way, shape or form over. It does look as if his days as the everyday 3rd baseman are all but done.

Alex Rodriguez Sets Another Record.......Sort Of

So the Yankees come into their day game on Wednesday with a chance to sweep the Kansas City Royals. Going into the bottom of the 3rd inning of the game at Yankee Stadium, the Yanks and Royal were locked in a 1-1 tie. Gardner started the inning off with a double to deep right. Then it was followed up with a Chase Headley walk. Royals Started Chris Young left a pitch up for Alex Rodriguez, who crushed a home run to left, driving in three and giving the Yankees a 4-1 lead. Those three RBI's for A-Rod on the home run give him 1,995 in his career, moving him into 3rd place all time in Major League Baseball History. Those RBI's also set a new record for the American League, passing the record previously held by Lou Gehrig, who finished his career with 1,993.

There is some debate over this, and we will touch on the A-Rod aspect of this in a little bit. Babe Ruth, who many consider to be the greatest player to ever live, is credited with 1,992 career RBIs. That total is incomplete because the RBI was recognized as an official stat by Elias, the official statistician of Major League Baseball, beginning in 1920. Ruth started playing in 1914. If you take into account the stats that aren't recognized by MLB or Elias, than the Babe finished his career with 2,214, good for 2nd all time. A-Rod now sits one behind Barry Bonds, who is second on the list with 1,996 and well behind the all time leader Hank Aaron, who had 2,297 career Runs Batted In.

Now let the arguments and debates go on about Alex Rodriguez. Is the records tainted? Of course it is, to a degree. While with Texas in 2003, Alex Rodriguez started using steroids, at least that's the date he has given everybody. Also according to reports he has been using them since his time in Texas. So lets take a look at a few numbers here. Between his time in Texas (three years) and his time with the Yankees (eleven seasons), A-Rod has hit 476 home runs and driven in an even 1,400 RBI's. So you could make that argument that those numbers are tainted, which may be true but I'll touch on that shortly.

Lets take a look at those numbers he put up with his first big league team, the Seattle Mariners. While in Seattle, a city which he played seven years, A-Rod hit 189 home runs and drove in 595 runs. His best year in Seattle was was 1998 when he hit 42 homers and drove in 124 runs. If you break down those averages in the seven years he was in Seattle (based on a 162 game schedule), it would average out to 122 RBI's a year and 39 home runs. So had A-Rod had played his entire career the same clean way we thought he did while in Seattle, he still would have come close to breaking these records.

A-Rod, much like Barry Bonds and Mark McGuire and all those other guys who have been linked to Steroids, will forever have that stigma around them and will have every record they ever set questioned. Which is why people are sort of putting down this record. Is it a big accomplishment? Absolutely. Its a very tough thing to be able to do to drive in a run in a baseball game, let alone a professional baseball game. At the same time, the fact that A-Rod is a known steroid user is what makes this record as tainted as it is.

Was he a good hitter while playing with the Mariners? Yes he was. Was he a clean hitter while playing in Seattle? I'm not so sure. I'd like to think that he was, but I really have no way of knowing. At the same time, part of me almost doesn't want to know. I'd like to think that he, much like Barry Bonds in his days with the Pirates, was a great hitter and could have smashed all kinds of records. And done it all with a clean slate. But nothing is clean when it really comes to A-Rod anymore.

So congratulations to Alex Rodriguez for passing Gerig on the all time RBI list, no matter how tainted it is.

Only Knicks Could Get This Luck

Going into the NBA Draft Lottery, you, as a Knicks fan, would like to think there's a little bit of hope. There's a small glimmer of opportunity. You're hoping and praying that the Knicks will end up with the top overall pick, something they haven't had since they drafted Patrick Ewing in 1985. Where the Knicks ended up with their pick caused initial anger, but there's no real reason for it. Everything is going to be fine Knicks fans.

Thanks to losing a season high 66 games, the Minnesota Timberwolves landed to first overall pick, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers, then the Philadelphia 76ers, the Knicks at fourth and the Orlando Magic rounding out the top five. What makes this a bitter pill for the Knicks to swallow is that they had a slightly worse record this season than the Lakers. New York finished 17-65, while the Lakers finished 21-61. How does that happen? Simple the Knicks did it to themselves. Normally, seventeen wins would get you a top overall pick. That what the Knicks managed in their worst season in franchise history. But two things happened. One was that the Timberwolves were worse, finishing the season with only sixteen wins. Two was that the Knicks won three out of five games near the end of the season, including the only time all year they won two straight road games. One of those was in Atlanta, which was a tough thing to do. But alas its all for nothing as it lands them the 4th overall pick in the draft next month.

Lets face facts the Knicks shot themselves in the foot. Yes their is a little bit of luck that is involved in getting the top pick in the draft, but when you have the worst season in franchise history, you would think that it would be at least a top two pick. Nope that didn't happen. I highly doubt that anybody playing in the NBA whether it be a player on the Knicks, the T-Wolves or the best team in the league in the Golden State Warriors wants to lose a game. Everybody playing in the league wants a chance to win. The Knicks players did that at the end of the season. Did it cost them a top two pick? It might have yes. There's no guarantee of that, but the odds would have been a little better in the Knicks favor. It kind of seemed fitting that the Knicks fall to fourth in the Draft. It was a bit of a surprise that the Lakers, a 21 win basketball team, grabbed the two pick ahead of the Knicks. But the Kicks did it to themselves. They got lucky that Atlanta decided not to show up at the end of the season, when the Hawks had the top seed in the East locked up. So with everything that has happened for the Knicks this season, it seems only fitting that this happens to them right now. But there may be a glimmer of hope for the Knicks. Not a lot of one, but there is a small glimmer.

Lets take a look at what we're dealing with here shall we. The guys who are projected to go in the top four, according to experts, are as follows. Karl Anthony-Towns (Kentucky), Jahlil Okafor (Duke), D’Angelo Russell (Ohio State) and Emmanuel Mudiay (China). Lets face facts the Knicks won't get either Anthony-Towns or Okafor, both will be gone to either the Lakers or Timberwolves. They have an outside chance of getting Russell from Ohio State but in all likelyhood Mudiay could be the man for the Knicks at four. There is another option for the Knicks though. They could possibly trade the pick for a package of players. At the end of the day, it would be smarter for the Knicks to keep the pick. It COULD help the team build with a cornerstone player.

With the way things have gone for the Knicks lately, it wouldn't surprise me if they find a way to screw this up too. Now all Knicks fans have are a hope and a prayer that their front office doesn’t do something absolutely stupid and ruin it. As things look right now, don't count on the Knicks improving. Only the Knicks could have things fall the way they have.

NBA Playoffs: Conference Finals Preview

It's time. The first two rounds of the NBA Playoffs are in the books, we have reached the conference finals. On paper, through the first two rounds at least, these playoffs have gone almost according to the script. Think about it. The only "upsets" in the entire playoffs were the fifth seeds in both leagues beating the four seeds in the opening round. Otherwise, the rest of the seeds have gone according to script. By the time we got to the second round, three of the four series went six games, while the last one went down in seven games. We have the top four teams in the league left standing, the top two in each conference, for the 2nd year in a row. So with that being said, here we go with our preview of the Conference Finals

We start off with the East as its the Top Seeded Atlanta Hawks taking on the Second Seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. Since the league switched to the current playoff format, this marks the first time ever the Hawks have gotten to the Eastern Conference Finals. They got here by beating the Nets in the opening round and the Wizards in the 2nd round, winning both series in six games. Atlanta is trying to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since losing to the Celtics in 1961. Meanwhile, Cleveland is back in the east finals for the first time since 2008. The Cavs got here by sweeping the Celtics in the opening round and following that up with a six game win over the Bulls in round two. Cleveland, should they pull out a win, will make it back to the finals for the first time since 2007. This is the second playoffs meeting between these two teams, with the Cavaliers winning the only meeting, that coming in the 2nd round in 2009 (a four game sweep by the Cavs). Atlanta won three of the four meetings between the teams in the regular season.

Here are the dates and times for every game in this series:
May 20 8:30 pm Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
May 22 8:30 pm Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
May 24 8:30 pm Atlanta Hawks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
May 26 8:30 pm Atlanta Hawks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
May 28 8:30 pm Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks* Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
May 30 8:30 pm Atlanta Hawks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers* Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
June 1 8:30 pm Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks* Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia

With this series, you have teams that seem to be polar opposites of each other. Look at the Cavs. You would think, when the playoffs started, they would be a heavy favorite. Things look a little bit differently now. Kevin Love is hurt and won't be back in the post season, while Kyrie Irving hasn't looked quite the same as he did during the regular season. Same can be said about Lebron too. James has had a down year, by his standards, in the playoffs. In the series against Chicago, Lebron was good but wasn't GREAT. With Irving and Love out, Timofey Mozgov, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert have done enough to step up on the defensive side of the game, and allow the team’s offense churn out victories. What makes the Cavs who they are is their staid pick-and-rolls and isolations. It really hasn't been too pretty but it has been effective in getting the Cavs where they are right now. Atlanta is at the opposite end of the spectrum, as they are motion based offense, trying to keep players moving at all times. Atlanta has been able to get different guys lead the way in scoring in the last round. You get guys like Jeff Teague, DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap. Sure Cleveland had a big performance from Matthew Dellavedova in game six, but the Hawks have a little more balance.

Yes Atlanta is coming into this series as the top seed, but the Cavs are still the heavy favorite, they have been all season long. Nothing has really changed. What I think is going to be a difference here is team depth. Sure Atlanta has an advantage up front. Cleveland has enough depth of the bench to compensate for it. Going to be a tough series but the Cavs will take it!

Pick: Cavaliers in 6!

Now to the Western Conference Finals, as its the top seeded Golden State Warriors taking on the second seeded Houston Rockets. Golden State is playing in the conference finals for the first time since 1975, ironically enough that year was the last time the Warriors also reached the NBA Finals and won the championship. The Warriors got here by beating the Pelicans in an opening round sweep, and followed it up with a six game series win over the Grizzlies. As for the Rockets, they are back in the Western Conference Finals for the first time since a loss to the Jazz in 1997. Houston is looking to back to the NBA for the first time since they won their last title in 1995. The Rockets got here by beating Dallas in five in the opening round, and followed it up with a seven game series win over the Clippers. This marks the first ever meeting in the playoffs between Golden State and Houston. Golden State won all four meetings between the teams during the regular season.

Here are the dates and times for every game in this series:
May 19 9:00 pm Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
May 21 9:00 pm Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
May 23 9:00 pm Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets Toyota Center, Houston, Texas  
May 25 9:00 pm Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets Toyota Center, Houston, Texas  
May 27 9:00 pm Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors* Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
May 29 9:00 pm Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets* Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
May 31 9:00 pm Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors* Oracle Arena, Oakland, California

I think it is a safe thing to say that the Rockets got a little bit lucky to get here. Los Angeles did blow a 19 point lead in game six of the series to allow the Rockets back in and have them take it in seven games. Lets face facts, the gap between the Warriors and Rockets in this series is a little obvious. James Harden had played outstanding in the regular season. One minor problem though. Harden hasn't been a major factor in this last series win over the Clippers. Facts are the Rockets were outplayed in the middle of the series by the Clippers. Houston didn't really win the series as much as the Clippers lost it. Golden state had a little trouble going against Memphis in the last round, but they were able to make the defensive adjustments after gam three, came back and rolled in the rest of the series.

If the regular season was any indication, this series could be a cake walk. Houston lost all four games of the regular season between these two teams. Oh and the average margin of victory that the Warriors have had? They won by an average of thirteen points. As good as Harden and Howard have been for the Rockets this season, Golden State has Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green to deal with Houston’s center, and some combination of Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala and Stephen Curry to try to stop Harden. Houston may get a game or two but it won't be close.

Pick: Warriors in 5!

So there we have it. The predictions for the Conference Finals in the NBA!

NHL Playoffs: Conference Finals Preview

The final four teams have been determined. We started this playoff journey about a month ago, there were sixteen teams, now there are four left standing. One last step before playing for the ultimate prize in all of professional hockey. The conference finals have arrived, giving us two very entertaining matchups. With the East, its a battle of players going against their former clubs. One team was expected to be there, while the other one comes as a bit of a surprise. Meanwhile in the West, its a battle of animals as a Hawk does battle with a Duck. Both those clubs have been the top teams in the conference, leading to this head to head matchup.

Enough of the fluff. Here's what your conference finals look like in the National Hockey League

First up, we look at the Eastern Conference Finals, as the Presidents Trophy winners the New York Rangers taking on the Atlantic Division's Tampa Bay Lightning. New York had the best record in the NHL, picking up 113 points. This marks the first time since 1994 that the Rangers have won the Presidents Trophy. For the 2nd straight year and the 3rd time in the last four seasons, the Rangers are playing in the Eastern Conference Finals, having beaten the Montreal Canadiens in six games last year. New York got here by beating the Penguins in five games in the opening round, then beating the Capitals in seven games. In fact, the Rangers came back from down 3-1 in the series to beat Washington, marking the 2nd year in a row they pulled off the feat. They did it in the 2nd round last year against the Penguins. As for the Lightning, they finished with 108 points during the regular season, which had them finish 2nd in the Atlantic division, behind Montreal. This marks just the 3rd time in franchise history that the Lightning are in the Eastern Conference Finals, having lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in 2011, their last appearance. This marks the first time ever that the Lightning and Rangers have faced each other in the playoffs. During the regular season, Tampa Bay won all three meetings.

Here are the dates and times for every game in this series:
May 16 Tampa Bay Lightning 1:00 p.m. New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
May 18 Tampa Bay Lightning 8:00 p.m. New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
May 20 New York Rangers 8:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
May 22 New York Rangers 8:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
May 24 Tampa Bay Lightning 8:00 p.m. New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
May 26 New York Rangers 8:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
May 29 Tampa Bay Lightning 8:00 p.m. New York Rangers Madison Square Garden

There are a few intriguing storylines heading into this matchup. You have a few familiar faces playing in different places. At this time last year, Brian Boyle and Anton Stralman were helping push the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final. This year, they are back in the conference finals, but they are dressed as members of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and squaring off against their former team. You can make the same argument for the other side too. Last year Martin St. Louis (at time Lightning Captain) and Ryan Callahan (at time Rangers Captain), were traded for each other. So they too are facing off against their former clubs, but Callahan is out right now after having surgery on Monday for an emergency appendectomy. Martin St. Louis and current New York teammate, Dan Boyle, were also part of Tampa Bay’s Stanley Cup-winning team back in 2004. So they have the big game experience together down in Tampa. Seeing how this could play out in the playoffs is going to make for an interesting storyline.

Goal scorers are going to be at a premium in this series. Steven Stamkos has been a tad quiet, for a guy of his caliber, in this playoffs. He was goal less in the opening round, coming back with three in the last round win over the Habs. Tyler Johnson (8 goals) and Nikita Kucherov (6 goals) have really stepped up in the goal department since Stamkos has gone a little bit cold. What makes the Lightning so interesting in this years playoffs is that once they get a lead, they don't lose. If they score first the Bolts are perfect in this years playoffs. For the Bolts to keep up in this series, the kids have to keep scoring, Stamkos has to find the net a little more and Ben Bishop is going to be key. He has been good in the playoffs, but he has to play outstanding. Bishop has to elevate his game to the level of his counterpart Henrik Lundqvist. Hank's sporting a .944 save percentage and a 1.60 goals against. He’s also won a record six straight Game 7s. Yeah that's going to be tough to beat. Because of this guy, and a little lack of offense, the Rangers have played in one goal games in every game so far in this years playoffs. An alarming number going into a series with a high scoring offense that the Lghtning have. Brassard and Kreider have scored five goals each, while Rick Nash is once again quiet in the post season. He needs to really step up in this round. Martin St. Louis needs to really wake up and get going again as well if they want to have a chance to go back to the Cup finals. Experience is what is going to make the difference in this series. Edge in that department goes to the boys from Broadway. Tampa looks really, really good and is going to give the Rangers a run for their money. Hank is better than Ben Bishop and for my money that's going to make the difference in the series.

Pick: Rangers in 7!

Out in the Western Conference Finals, we have the Western Conference best team in the Anaheim Ducks taking on the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago finished 3rd in the Central division with 102 points. Chicago had a tough six game series win over Nashville in the opening round, then swept the Wild in the 2nd round. This marks the 9th time ever, and the 3rd straight year, that the Blackhawks have made it to the Western Conference Finals. Last year the Hawks were beaten in seven games by the LA Kings. Chicago had won it the year before by beating the Kings in five games. As for Anaheim, they had the best record in the West, just edging out the Blues with 109 points. Anaheim started the playoffs with a sweep of the Jets, then beat the Flames in five games to get to the conference finals. This marks just the 4th time in franchise history that the Ducks are in the West finals. Last time they were here was in 2007, beating the Red Wings in six games. Chicago and Anaheim have never faced eachother in the playoffs. During the regular season, Chicago won two of the three meetings.

Here are the date and times for every game in this series:
May 17 Chicago Blackhawks 3:00 p.m. Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
May 19 Chicago Blackhawks 9:00 p.m. Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
May 21 Anaheim Ducks 8:00 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks United Center
May 23 Anaheim Ducks 8:00 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks United Center
May 25 Chicago Blackhawks 9:00 p.m. Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
May 27 Anaheim Ducks 8:00 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks United Center
May 30 Chicago Blackhawks 8:00 p.m. Anaheim Ducks Honda Center

Of the two conference finals, this one may be the most evenly balanced. One of the big questions I have for Chicago in this series is can Cory Crawford show up again? In the opening round against Nashville, Crawford looked really shaky and had to be bailed out by Scott Darling, who did an outstanding job in relief. Now against the Wild, Crawford seemed to find his game again and played better in net than he did in the opening round. He might be all the way back to his former self, but if your a Hawks fan you have to wonder if he really is back to his old self again. Marian Hossa too needs to wake up just a little bit. Here's a guy who has showed he can score the big goals when needed, but this year in the playoffs he's been a little bit quite. Hossa has seven assists in this years playoffs, but if you go back to last year, he hasn't actually scored on a goalie in the playoffs in 23 games. So its something he needs to work on. Thankfully for him, and the rest of the Hawks for that matter, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have been playing out of their minds so far. Kane has been a strong candidate for Playoff MVP. The Hawks have the scoring depth to propel them deep.

Anaheim, too, has been playing well this year. The Ducks have lost only one game all year long in the playoffs. A big reason for that has been the scoring exploits of Cory Perry. Perry leas the league with 15 points in the playoffs, including the series winner over the Flames in the last round in Overtime in game five. What surprising here is that the Ducks have found the depth in the scoring department to be able to match that of the Blackhawks in this years playoffs. By adding Ryan Kesler, it has given the Ducks an added advantage to find that missing piece to get back to the promise land. Lets also not forget that Frederik Andersen has continued to quietly have an excellent postseason. With this series I think its going to come down to experience and the Hawks have it. Bruce Boudreau has never coached a game this late in the playoffs in his career. Joel Quenneville has plenty of experience doing this. I know that the coaches don't make the plays on the ice, the players do. That may possibly make a difference (even a small one). Chicago has the depth and experience to pull this one out of their hat.

Pick: Hawks in 7!

So there you have it, the preview and predictions for the Conference Finals in the National Hockey League!

Deflategate Pnuishments For Patriots

We all knew this was going to be coming, just didn't expect it to be this large. After the Patriots were accused of Deflating footballs in their 45-7 blowout victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game. The official rules of the National Football League require footballs to be inflated to a gauge pressure between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds, but upon further testing, some footballs used in the game were found to be under inflated. This lead to an investigation by the NFL. When all was said and done, the punishment handed down to New England was a little on the stiff side.

The NFL has suspended Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady without pay for the first four games of the season, fined the New England Patriots $1 million and taken away two draft picks, a first round pick in 2016 and a 4th round pick in 2017. Some think that the punishment was too harsh, while others think that this was a fair deal. This was a statement. Brady has repeatedly stated that he did not know about the efforts to deflate the game balls, but Wells' report found those claims "not plausible and contradicted by other evidence." (ESPN). In this case there is reasoning to do something to Brady. Had Brady just come out and said straight out that he either knew or didn't know, then I think the result would have changed. Brady, from what I could tell, danced around the issue, seemed like he never gave a straight up answer. That's something I would have liked to see.

I still think the punishment was a little stiff on all accounts. Four games for Brady for deflating footballs is a bit much. It's not like he's taking steroids to stay the best in the game. I think it was an offense worth a suspension, because he was involved in the altering of a football for possible gain. It does bend/break the rules playing with footballs that aren't up to standards. What the Patriots did were wrong, there's no dispute of that. But I do feel that a four game suspension for this is a bit much. I say going two to three would have been more acceptable. Two games seems like a fair number for their transgressions. At least as far as Brady goes. The fine was a bit stiff, $1 million for deflating footballs? It seems like its pocket change for NFL owners and teams. Quarter million would have been more acceptable for a punishment than what was given out. As for the draft picks, that was over the top. New England should have been able to keep their picks.

Having said that, this was a statement made by the National Football League. After the year that the NFL went through last year in terms of discipline, see Ray Rice, Greg Hardy and Adrian Petterson, the League needed to make a statement. This was it. It was a statement from the Commissioners office that the NFL, saying to the rest of the league that they aren't a pushover anymore. If somebody does something wrong in the league, they will be punished. The NFL wanted to show that even the defending world champions aren't immune from this kind of punishment. Roger Goodell's office made it clear that they will put the hammer down, so to speak, when it comes to punishment this year. If you bend or break the rules in the NFL, you will be punished in due process and to the fullest extent.

Was it the right punishment? To a degree yes. Was this  a statement by the NFL? Of course.

NFL Draft Report Cards

\After four days and a total of 256 picks, the NFL Draft is in the books. Through the NFL draft really is the best way to be able to build a championship team.  Sure you can add pieces through free agency, but by the draft is the best way to build the future of your team. Over the years, some players have really panned out as they were expected to, guys like Aaron Rodgers, Calvin Johnson ect. Then you also have guys who have gone in as high draft choices and turned out to be total flops. Just look at a guy like Ryan Leaf or JaMarcus Russell. So sometimes a draft pick works out and sometimes it doesn't. This years class was headed up by Jamies Winston (#1 pick to Tampa) and Marcus Mariota (#2 pick to Tennessee), both guys who are expected to have good careers. But what about the local teams? Did the Giants address their needs with the six picks they had? What about the Jets and their six picks? Well here's how the two teams did this year in the draft.

Lets start off with Big Blue. Here are the Giants picks in this years Draft:

Round 1, Pick 9 (9): Ereck Flowers, Miami OG
Round 2, Pick 1 (33) (from Titans): Landon Collins, Alabama SS
Round 3, Pick 10 (74): Owamagbe Odighizuwa, UCLA DE
Round 5, Pick 8 (144): Mykkele Thompson, Texas S
Round 6, Pick 10 (186): Geremy Davis, Connecticut WR
Round 7, Pick 9 (226): Bobby Hart, Florida State OG

Some of the big needs the Giants had going into this season, which were defense and offensive line help, were addressed. With their first pick, which was 9th overall, they grabbed Ereck Flowers, the offensive guard from Miami. Flowers is a powerful run blocker whose pass protection leaves a lot to be desired. That's something that has been a bit of an issue for the Giants the last few seasons. The Run games needs holes to open up and Flowers could help with that. But the fact that they haven't been able to keep Eli on his feet the last two seasons isn't good, and one of the biggest knocks on Flowers game is he isn't great at being able to protect the Quarterback. Then the Giants gave up a little bit much, three future draft picks to the Titans to take the 33rd pick in the 2nd round and they grab Alabama safety Landon Collins. This wasn't a bad pick, as Collins is a work in progress in coverage, but he'll be an enforcer against the run early. Besides adding him into the mix will help out with a depleted secondary, which was a defensive issue that the Giants had a season ago. Plus with the fact that Antrel Rolle took off for Chicago, this was a pretty decent pick, given what the Giants have. And getting UCLA pass-rusher Owamagbe Odighizuwa in the third round was a bit of a steal. "Double O" rushes the passer with bad intentions and a lot of power. This does address a need that the Giants have because over the past few seasons, Big Blue hasn't had anywhere near the feared pass rush they once did. So getting Double O will be a big help.

Overall the Giants draft was average at best. The first two picks seem to be possible works in progress, something that could hurt the Giants over the long term. Yes they did address the holes that they have right now, but with some of the knocks against Flowers and Collins, it makes you wonder a little bit about what the Giants are doing.

Grade: C

As far as Gang Green is concerned, they had a better draft than the Giants did. Here's who the Jets selected in this years Draft:

Round 1, Pick 6 (6): Leonard Williams, USC DE 
Round 2, Pick 5 (37): Devin Smith, Ohio State WR
Round 3, Pick 18 (82) (from Texans): Lorenzo Mauldin, Louisville OLB
Round 4, Pick 4 (103) (from Jaguars): Bryce Petty, Baylor QB
Round 5, Pick 16 (152) (from Texans): Jarvis Harrison, Texas A&M OG
Round 7, Pick 6 (223): Deon Brown, Northwestern State (LA) NT

Were there holes on offense that the Jets needed to address? Hell yeah. Did they address them during the draft? Not right away. With the first pick the Jets took Leonard Williams, the defensive end from USC. This now marks the 7th year win a row that the Jets took a defensive player with their first overall pick in the draft. The last time the Jets took an offensive player with their first pick, they took Mark Sanchez with the 5th pick in 2009. The Jets did make a very smart move by picking Williams at six. He's the best defensive player, and possibly the best overall player, that was sitting there at the draft when the Jets had their pick. So why not take a chance and grab him up. It gives the Jets plenty of options on the defensive line, which makes the Jets even more lethal on defense then they were before. From an offensive perspective, the Jets made a few nice pickups. Picking up Wide receiver Devin Smith was a nice little selection. Smith is going to, in all likelyhood see limited action this year, but his game-breaking potential deep will help draw attention away from Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker and Jeremy Kerley. It will help open up options in the pass game. Then you add in the Jets selecting Jarvis Harrison, the Texas A&M guard in the 5th round. It helps add depth to what is an aging offensive line for the Jets. Facts are the Jets line is getting older and outside of Nick Mangold and D'Brickashaw Ferguson still leaves something to be desired. So adding Harrison gives the Jets more options on the line.

What is going to be a true interesting option for the Jets is selecting Baylor QB Bryce Petty. Gang Green grabbed Petty in the 4th round. He's probably the best QB that was left in the draft after Winston and Mariota. Petty won't be a viable NFL starter for some time, if ever, but he still could swipe the QB-of-the-future status from Geno Smith. Ryan Fitzpatrick's presence also buys New York time to bring Petty along. On the whole, this was a good draft for the Jets. It gives them depth and options for what they want to do with the defense. In case they make a trade or lose a starter on the line to free agency, they have options. They also added an offensive weapon by pickup up Running Back Zac Stacy from the Rams in a trade. All in all, the Draft was a good one for the Jets

Grade: A-

So that's how both teams did in the Draft over the weekend.

NBA Playoffs 2nd Round Preview

Well kids the 1st round is over. We are down to eight teams left standing in the NBA Playoffs. The opening round saw three sweeps, Golden State taking out New Orleans, Cleveland sweeping Boston (even though they Cavs lost Kevin Love for the rest of the playoffs with a shoulder injury) and Washington knocking off Toronto. Two series ended in five games, Houston over Dallas and Memphis beating Portland. Two more series ended in six games, Atlanta over Brooklyn and Chicago over Milwaukee. The final series, Los Angeles taking out the defending Champions the Spurs went the full seven games. Seems to me that the four seeds in the opening round, Toronto and Portland really couldn't seem to find their groove in the opening round. Everybody else seemed to play to the script as it were. That's part of what makes the playoffs so interesting. With that being said, here's what the 2nd round looks like for the NBA Playoffs.

 

First up is the top seed in the East the Atlanta Hawks taking on the 5th seed the Washington Wizards. Washington's sweep of Toronto in the opening round marks the first time the Wizards have swept a series in the playoffs since 1982. This also marks the 2nd year in a row Washington has made it pass the 1st Round, but the team has yet to win a series in round two since 1979. Atlanta comes in after beating the Nets in six games in the opening round. This now marks the first time since 2011 that the Hawks have survived to play in the 2nd round. Atlanta has yet two win more than two rounds in the playoffs in franchise history, despite winning an NBA title in 1958. This is the fifth playoffs meeting between these two teams, with the Wizards (Bullets) winning three out of the first four meetings. The last time these two teams met in the playoffs was in 1979, a series in which Washington (the Bullets at the time) won the series in six games). During the regular season Atlanta took three of the four games.

Here are the dates and times for the games in this series:
May 3:00 p.m.Washington Wizards vs. Atlanta Hawks Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
May 5 8:00 p.m. Washington Wizards vs. Atlanta Hawks Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
May 9 5:00 p.m. Atlanta Hawks vs. Washington Wizards Verizon Center, Washington, D.C
May 11 7:00 p.m. Atlanta Hawks vs. Washington Wizards Verizon Center, Washington, D.C
May 13 TBA Washington Wizards vs. Atlanta Hawks* Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
May 15 TBA Atlanta Hawks vs. Washington Wizards* Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
May 18 TBA Washington Wizards vs. Atlanta Hawks* Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia

One factor that could come into play here is the rest factor. Washington had swept in the first round, so they are a little more rested than Atlanta, who was pushed to six games by the Nets. Paul Pierce had a big series for Washington, proving that he still has something left in the tank and still be a big factor in an NBA playoff series. It wasn't just Pierce who had a big series. They got scoring from Marcin Gortat, Nene, Bradley Beal and others. It was a balanced attack from Washington in that series. But the extra time off could hurt the Wizards a little. Sure the Hawks had to go six games with the Nets, but that could just mean it was a little more fine tuning that had to be do. DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap had big series from a scoring point of view, while Jeff Teague also had a good series in his own right. Its going to make for a good matchup. The battle between John Wall and Jeff Teague should be very entertaining, this series going at least six games. Atlanta has the more balanced team, as they were still the top seed in the East. Washington is going to push the Hawks to the limit, but at the end of the day Atlanta is just going to be too deep a team.

Pick: Hawks in 6!

Next up its the two seed Cleveland Cavaliers taking on the three seed Chicago Bulls. Cleveland is coming off their sweep of the Celtics in the opening round, something that the Cavs haven't done since the swept the Hawks in the 2nd round in 2009. Cleveland hasn't won a playoff series since beating this same Bulls team in the opening round of the 2010 playoffs, which was the last time the Cavs made the playoffs and won the division. Cleveland is looking to get past the 2nd round for the first time since 2009. Chicago comes in after a six game series win over the Bucks. Chicago has made it to the 2nd round for the first time since 2013. The Bulls are looking to get out of round two for the first time since 2011. This is the seventh playoffs meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning five out of the first six meetings. The last time these two teams faced off in the post season was 2010, a series which the Cavs won in five games. During the regular season this year, Cleveland took three of the four games.

Here are the dates and times for every game in this series:
May 4 7:00 pm Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
May 6 7:00 pm Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
May 8 TBA Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls United Center, Chicago, Illinois
May 10 3:30 pm Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls United Center, Chicago, Illinois
May 12 TBA Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers* Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
May 14 TBA Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls* United Center, Chicago, Illinois
May 17 TBA Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers* Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland got the sweep in the opening round but it came at a price. Kevin Love injured his shoulder in game four of the Boston series and is lost for the rest of the playoffs. With Love being hurt, it makes this series a little more even between the two teams. With Cleveland, since Love is hurt more pressure is on Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson. Those two guys really need to step up big in this series. Chicago has more of an advantage in regards to health, even though Joakim Noah and Nikola Mirotic seemingly aren't quite at 100 percent. The Cavaliers don't have a lot of depth, at least not by comparison to the Bulls. What the Cavs do have are guys who are versatile and can do different things. They have to avoid foul trouble and they need LeBron and Kyrie to be extraordinary. As good as Jokim Noah is, I really am not convinced yet that he is capable of 32 great minutes for four games and Taj Gibson's relief off the bench might not be enough. The interior help of the Bulls scares the hell out of me. If all else fails, LeBron won't beta-male enough to let this slide. He will exploit it enough. At the end of the day, when all is said and done, I think the Cavs stars will outshine that of Chicago.

Pick: Cavaliers in 7!

To the Western Conference we go and its the top seeded Golden State Warriors taking on the fifth seed the Memphis Grizzles. Memphis comes in after downing Portland in five games. In the five straight years now that the Grizzlies have made the playoffs, this is only the 2nd time that they have won a series in less than six games. Memphis is looking to get out of the 2nd round for the 2nd time in three years.  Golden State comes off a sweep of the Pelicans in the opening round, the first time they have swept anybody in the playoffs since 1989. Golden State bounced back and made it to the 2nd round of the playoffs for the 2nd time in three years. The Warriors haven't made it out of the 2nd round since winning the NBA crown in 1975. This is the first meeting in the playoffs between the Warriors and Grizzlies. Golden State took two of the three regular season meetings between the teams.

Here are the dates and times for games in this series:
May 3 3:30 pm Memphis Grizzlies vs. Golden State Warriors Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
May 5 10:30 pm Memphis Grizzlies vs. Golden State Warriors Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
May 9 8:00 pm Golden State Warriors vs. Memphis Grizzlies FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
May11 9:30 pm Golden State Warriors vs. Memphis Grizzlies FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
May 13 TBA Memphis Grizzlies vs. Golden State Warriors* Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
May 15 TBA Golden State Warriors vs. Memphis Grizzlies* FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
May 17 TBA Memphis Grizzlies vs. Golden State Warriors* Oracle Arena, Oakland, California

Golden State was a team that dominated during the regular season, and it looks like they started that way again in the playoffs with the sweep of New Orleans. If the idea was to put teams away early instead of winning by a blowout, then the Warriors did a fantastic job in the opening round of the playoffs.  With the sweep, it gave the Warriors a week off between the end of the 1st round and the start of the 2nd round. Sometimes having an extended time off can be a good thing, while at other times it turns around to bite a team in the rear end. I don't think that's going to happen with the Warriors. With the splash brothers playing at full tilt, Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green having an outstanding series, the Warriors are firing on all cylinders at the right time. Memphis is a good basketball team, with a solid starting lineup with Courtney Lee, Jeff Green, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. One guy who really makes this basketball team go is Mike Conley. The big question with this team is Conley's health. It's the biggest thing between knowing whether or not the Grizzlies will have a quick exit or an epic battle on their hands. On the surface, this Grizzlies team looks ready to challenge the Warriors. The Warriors were historically good at home, but the Grizzlies also had the fifth best road record in the NBA and are not afraid of a hostile environment.  Regardless of Conley's health, its not going to really matter.

Pick: Warriors in 5!

Last but not least its the two seed Houston Rockets taking on the three seed Los Angeles Clippers. Houston is coming off a five game series win over the Mavericks in the opening round, the first tiem they've won an opening round series since 2009. Houston hasn't won a series in this short a time since a three game series sweep of the Timberwolves in 1997 (three game sweep) Houston is looking to get out of the 2nd round for the first time since 1997. As for the Clippers, they knocked off the defending champion Spurs in a tough seven game series, making it the 2nd year in a row and 3rd time in last four years they have won their opening round matchup. One down side is that the Clippers have never been able to get out of the 2nd round in franchise history. This is the second playoffs meeting between these two teams. The only other time they have played each other was the 1993 Western Conference First Round a series in which Houston won in five. During the regular season, the teams split the four meetings.

Here are the dates and times for games in this series:
May 4 9:30 pm Los Angeles Clippers vs. Houston Rockets Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
May 6 9:30 pm Los Angeles Clippers vs. Houston Rockets Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
May 8 10:30 pm Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Clippers Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
May 10 8:30 pm Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Clippers Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
May 12 TBA Los Angeles Clippers vs. Houston Rockets* Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
May 14 TBA Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Clippers* Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
May 17 TBA Los Angeles Clippers vs. Houston Rockets* Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

Houston has plenty of depth to go around. Outside of Harden and Howard putting on a clinic, Smith, Corey Brewer, Jason Terry, Trevor Ariza, Terrence Jones and Pablo Prigioni stepped up to offer additional scoring, passing, rebounding and perimeter defending.  LA is no slouch. With a rotation that generally goes eight men deep, the Clippers need to lean on Paul, Griffin, Jordan, Redick and Barnes to do nearly all of the heavy lifting. LA can hold its own, hell they just knocked off the champs in the opening round in a seven game series, so they won't be a pushover here. But what could hurt LA here is their bench. They have a short one, something which Houston is going to try and take advantage of said bench. Houston has had a tendancy at times to have an inefficient offense, something that the Clippers are going to try and take full advantage of. This series is going to go the distance and I think Houston has what it takes to get the job done.

Pick: Rockets in 7!

So there you have it, the predictions for the 2nd round of the NBA Playoffs!